A new study issued today by digital advertising technology company SocialVibe
reveals that 70 percent of consumers actively engaged in social media
have made a purchase as a result of being connected to a brand online —
whether on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest or Google+.

The study also revealed that 61 percent of consumers first consider the
brands they are connected with when shopping.

“Connections” in the study are defined as a consumer choosing to connect
with a brand online through an action such as “liking” the brand on
Facebook, or “following” it on Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest or Google+.
For the study — conducted by the Digital Marketing Intelligence
team at independent research firm GfK — 878 consumers opted in to
take a survey across SocialVibe's network of premium partner sites. The
study aimed at better understanding the dynamics of consumers connecting
to brands through online social channels.

Key findings from the study include:

1) Brand connections drive purchase behavior

The study revealed that 70 percent of consumers socially connected to a
brand online have made a purchase as a direct result of that connection,
demonstrating that social connections are becoming increasingly
important for brand marketing efforts.

According to the study, 19 percent of consumers make purchases “often”
and 29 percent make purchases “sometimes” because of brand connections.
Similarly, many consumers are testing these waters, with 22 percent
having made a purchase once or twice because of a brand connection.

2) Consumers connect to re-experience brands

Twenty percent of consumers connect with brands because they’d like to
receive special offers, which suggests that they want to repurchase with
an offer or discount. These connections are providing consumers with a
direct outlet to deals from the brands they prefer.

“Connections are really a consumer’s way of saying that they would like
to spend more time with the brand,” said John Capano, chief marketing
officer of SocialVibe.

The study also found that 16 percent of consumers choose to connect with
a brand because they want to stay up-to-date on the brand’s news and
information, further illustrating a consumer desire to deepen the brand
experience and an important takeaway for brand loyalty operations.

3) Once connected, consumers regularly stay in touch

Results from the study also indicate that 23 percent of consumers check
back weekly for updates on the brands they’re connected to, with as many
as 17 percent of consumers monitoring brands for updates on a daily
basis — a powerful finding for brands looking to carry the
experience forward.

“Driving lasting connections with a brand through social properties like
their Facebook page or Twitter handle provides an avenue for ongoing
conversation, and these longer-term relationships are much more valuable
to brand loyalty than a one-time experience,” said Jamie Auslander,
director of research for SocialVibe.

4) Connections have to be carefully preserved

The study further found that 37 percent of consumers who build these
online social connections with brands also terminate them by un-liking,
un-following, etc.

“Brands need to be mindful that connections can be both powerful and
disruptive to the social experience,” said Tiffany Leslie, director of
marketing communications for SocialVibe. “They need to carefully
determine the balance between driving loyalty and overwhelming their
advocates.”

One-third of consumers who disconnected from brands did so because they
were receiving too many updates.

“With 22 percent of consumers indicating that they did not see the value
in staying connected, brands have to reinforce why consumers should
remain connected with them rather than simply repeating the ‘Like us on
Facebook’ mantra,” Leslie said.

SocialVibe combines the power of an extensive network of premium online
and mobile partners, a large, 750x500 rich media ad unit, and innovative
new placements such as value exchange and interstitials to deliver
proven results for brands and marketers. This combination is one of the
most powerful in digital advertising, driving industry leading results
like five to 10 times the engagement of display, 60 seconds time spent,
80 percent-plus completion rates and more than 15 percent lift in key
brand metrics including consideration and purchase intent.

SocialVibe is a next-gen digital ad-tech company that powers engagement
advertising for some of the world’s top brands. In today’s online
landscape where consumer attention is hard to capture, SocialVibe’s
interactive ads deliver better results through deeper engagement by
delivering an improved consumer experience and more powerful brand
interaction. As a pioneer and recognized leader in engagement marketing,
SocialVibe enables advertisers to reach consumers where they are most
passionately engaged across the web and mobile, including social, social
gaming, content, music, video, Wi-Fi, travel and sports. SocialVibe is
based in Los Angeles, Calif., with offices in New York, Chicago, San
Francisco, Atlanta and London. For more information, visit socialvibe.com
or engage with us on twitter.com/socialvibe.

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